Hiccup and Astrid

memories part 12

...The moment Toothless understood what Astrid had at the back of her mind, he decided he liked her almost as much as Hiccup himself and began to nuzzle her to prove it, although the sudden move nearly made her loose her balance. But she laughed, and scratched the sensitive spot on the dragon's neck, earning an appreciative purr in return. Her fingers, although not as nimble as Hiccup's, moved in a confident way, showing no sign of either hesitation or fear, and when they eventually stopped dancing across his black scales and she asked him if he was ready to play his part, he stamped his front paws on the wooden floor in anticipation, his tail happily whipping the air.
She nodded, smiled, and made her way to the door when Stoick suddenly called her name.
"Astrid?"
"Yes, Chief?"
"Is there anything I can do for you in return?"
Astrid hesitated for a moment, unsure of what she should say. It was pretty obvious that Stoick actually wanted to do something, but she couldn't think of anything special…at least until she remembered the walls of Hiccup's bedroom. But what she was about to say was not something one could tell the chieftain without suffering its consequences. And yet, Stoick needed to know.
"Well, I can't think of anything you could do for me, chief Stoick, but there definitely is something you can do for your son. I really have no right to say this, but if I were you, I'd never say that Hiccup's responsible for his mother's death ever again."
Stoick immediately squared his shoulders, and she could see his whole body becoming incredibly tense. For a second, she feared she'd just said the one thing she never should have. The man's hands had curled into tight fists, and she briefly wondered if he was going to beat her until no one would recognize her. And then, finally:
"I was furious and nearly drunk when I told Gobber about that. Hiccup wasn't supposed to hear it."
Astrid didn't really know why he had just confessed this to her, out of all people. But she was still standing in front of him, and she was still unharmed, so she supposed it was now or never.
"Well, he did, and I can guarantee you he hasn't forgotten about it. You should try to talk to him and tell him you didn't mean it."
"Aye, I'll do that."
Astrid smiled a sad smile and the look in her eyes softened. Oh, how wrong they had all been.
"If it's any consolation, Chief,"
The fair-haired Viking added as an afterthought,
"you're certainly not the only one who has a certain amount of making up to do. And it begins now."
As soon as she pulled the door open, Toothless hot on her heels, Astrid couldn't help but stare at the sight before her. Not only had the snowstorm come to an end, but four dragons and their respective riders stood there, seemingly waiting for her. Stormfly, who looked particularly proud of herself, squawked loudly to greet her and came hastily at her side, motioning for her to look at the group that was gathered in front of the chieftain's house. The spiked beast could not speak, but the message was clear nonetheless, and Astrid grinned as she lifted her hand to pat the blue dragon's head.
"Good job, Stormfly. That will save some precious time…"
"Hey, Astrid! You look like you feel cold with those clothes. Wanna share some of my furs?"
"I hate to burst your bubble, 'Lout, but she's with Hiccup, remember?"
"Shut up, Tuff!"
"She's with Hiccup, she's with Hiccup, she's with Hiccup, she's with- OW!"
"He's right, though. Hiccup's got, like, charisma level 15."
"What the heck is 'charisma'?"
"Charisma is-
"Shut up 'Legs! Astrid's waiting, in case you haven't noticed."
"Thanks Ruff. Okay guys, if you're done acting like the idiots you are, maybe you can listen to what I have to say. Toothless, Stormfly, you know what you have to do if they don't."
Immediately, the two reptiles readied themselves to pounce on whoever deserved it, their pupils narrowed to slits. Miraculously, Astrid got everyone's undivided attention.
"Alright, you all know we've not exactly been nice to Hiccup for…well, for as long as I can remember. So I think it's time for us to do something for him."
"Well, what do you suggest? It's not like we can invite him to brawl or something, he's still not used to that stump of his!"
"'Lout, if you keep interrupting me," Astrid spat venomously,
"I swear I'll flatten your balls with a war hammer! And stop calling Hiccup's leg a stump!"
"But that's what it is! You can't- okay, okay, I'll shut up."
"You'd better. So, as I was saying, I think it's time for us to do something for Hiccup. Apparently, he doesn't like being outside because of his footprints. No comments, thank you very much. What I want you to do is pretty simple: gather all the riders and their dragons and lead them to the cove, except the Terrible Terrors. Toothless and Stormfly will show you what needs to be done once you're all there."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to give instructions to the owners of Terrors, and convince my father to stay inside…for now. I'll meet you at the cove as soon as I can. Any questions? No? Good, 'cause I wouldn't have answered them. Now go!"
They all sprinted away, heading for their respective destinations.